That's What Love Is
by ItsClydeBitches221B
Summary: Jupiter teaches Caine a thing or two about Earth promises. (Written for the 8th JA fic challenge!)


A/N: The random bat-splice is from my fic _Rock the Cradle_ ^_^

* * *

5.

It wasn't often that Jupiter let herself drink this much. It felt _great_.

"Told you," Chicanery hiccupped. It was getting sort of hard to hear him, aaaaaaall the way through the couch. He was sitting on the ground, barely propped up by the furniture, while Jupiter had her legs hooked over the couch's top and was dangling over its back. Everything was so much fuzzier upside down.

"Why didn't we do this sooner? Huh? Huh?"

"Because you're a goody-goody, Your Majesty."

"Naaah," Jupiter denied. "It's 'cause that space king guy hadn't given me a crate of slosh before." She reached forward, fingers two inches from the ground and four from her bottle. When had it rolled away? All that yummy, peach-like alcohol was seeping into the carpet now. "Don't be greedy," Jupiter muttered to it and strained even farther. She cheered when her hand found purchase—Chicanery let out a weak answering cheer from beyond the couch—and it took Jupiter another two gropes to realize that wasn't the smooth feeling of her bottle.

Oh. That was a boot. A _flying_ boot.

Jupiter grinned. "Hi, Caine!"

"Hello, Your Majesty."

He looked so big from this angle. Bigger than big, like a super-tall giant on steroids. Caine had his arms crossed in his 'serious' pose and he was glaring, though luckily not at her. Usually when he looked at Jupiter like that it meant she hadn't signed papers she was supposed to and honestly, Jupiter wasn't sure she could hold a pen right now. Not when Caine suddenly had four legs.

"You're very wolf-like today…" she murmured. "Hmm… I think I should sit up now…"

No sooner had she said that then Caine was lifting her up, Jupiter's blood rushing around her head and her hair falling all in her face. She landed with a bounce on the couch, accidentally kicking Chicanery in the head who… didn't seem to notice. He was happily sipping from another bottle and passing one to Jupiter when—oh no—it disappeared.

Caine was back. He took her bottle away.

"You got her drunk?" he said and Jupiter wondered who she'd gotten drunk, she didn't think Chicanery was a 'her,' and then she realized that Caine was talking _to_ Chicanery and oh wow, so great to see them getting along!

Caine's hands were suddenly in her hair, massaging the ache away. Jupiter hummed at the feeling. He smelled like flour and whoops, she was hungry now. Jupiter wondered if there was any food hidden within the five-foot radius of this couch. Probably not.

"Providing the Queen with stress relief," Chicanery slurred. "We all can't pleasure her as you do, pup."

Caine growled and Jupiter leaned her forehead against his throat, enjoying the funny vibrations there. So much for getting along. Not glad. So sad. Abort Chicanery's death, quick, quick!

"No growling," Jupiter said, flapping her hand against his bicep. "Nachos."

"Nachos?"

She looked up just in time to see him blink. Jupiter moved on to patting his cheek. "The chip-dip-cheesy thing we ate late week. Will you go find?"

Caine blinked again, narrowed his eyes at Chicanery. He nodded slowly. "… Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

" _Yes._ "

"Pinky promise!" and Jupiter fumbled for Caine's hand, linking their pinkies as he twitched his ears in confusion. She pumped up and down twice before falling backwards onto the couch, stretching her legs and letting out a happy huff. "The pact is sealed. _Nachos_."

Caine left, still looking rather befuddled, while Jupiter drifted into a doze. She dreamed of snacks.

"Bring back two servings!" Chicanery called and hiccupped again.

* * *

4.

Caine stared, his ears perked and his feathers ruffling—all of him on high alert. He drew in a deep breath before speaking.

"Your Majesty…"

"Mm?"

"You just… you…" he was incapable of finishing.

"You just agreed to let a sexist, spice-phobic Entitled become a part of your committee," Guano piped in. Her bat wings spread in displeasure, bits of bone and cartilage straining out towards Jupiter. She even hissed slightly, nose twitching.

"Mmmmm," Jupiter hummed again. She rocked back on her heels, swinging out her clasped hands. "Did I?"

"Yes. You did," Caine said. He sounded shocked and rather… hurt.

"Did I _really?_ " She swung out her arms again, this time high enough that both Caine and Guano got the message. They peered at her suspiciously.

"Your Majesty?" Guano asked. She sniffed tentatively at her Queen's hands—hands that each had the pointer and middle fingers crossed.

"It's an ancient Earth tradition," Jupiter intoned seriously. Only Caine caught the glint of mischief in her eye. "No promise you make is binding if you cross your fingers while you make it. Everyone knows that. Is it my fault he didn't bother to brush up on his culture before he insisted on that long, _infuriating_ meeting?" Jupiter shrugged. "I don't think so. I also really don't think it's our problem if he drops his guard, thinking he's already a member while we pull the actual committee together, do you?"

Guano grinned, all teeth and sharp tongue. "No, Your Majesty. That's not our fault at all."

"Caine?"

He ducked his head, smiling softly at the floor. "No, Your Majesty. I'm… sorry for doubting you."

"Doubting me?" Jupiter slapped him compatibly on the shoulder. "Nah. Just need to instill some more of that Earth culture in ya!"

"… Noted."

* * *

3.

"— _ring-a-round the rosie, a pocket full of posies, ashes! Ashes! We all fall down_ — _hah!_ "

It was beyond thrilling to actually fall at the end of that song. Jupiter had just taught Caine how to spin together, arms taut and gaining speed, and this time when he let go she went flying off her apartment roof. She screamed with exhilaration, conscious of her bare feet—bereft of gravity boots—and the loose clothes that allowed the wind to tear right through her. Jupiter had only fallen about a story though before strong arms were cradling her shouldres and the backs of her knees.

"Again," Jupiter gasped, laughing. "Again!"

Caine smiled down at her, slowly ascending back to the rooftop. Dusk had settled and maybe, just maybe, if someone looked out their window they might catch a rather odd silhouette in the sky. Jupiter couldn't bring herself to care much though.

"You like this game," Caine commented, nuzzling behind her ear.

"I _loved_ it as a kid. We used to fall into those woodchip piles at recess. Got all scratched up and stuff, every damn day."

Caine shook his head. Setting Jupiter back on her feet his hands skimmed over her bare arms and legs, as if checking for those decades old injuries. Jupiter shivered at the touch and thanked the hot, muggy weather. Shorts had been a good call.

She held out her hands again, grinning. Caine accepted… but then paused.

"What does it mean?" he asked.

"Mean?"

"The song."

"Oh… uh…" Jupiter shrugged. "Not totally sure, honestly. People say it's about the plague, but I think that's just an urban legend, you know?"

Only half of that sentence seemed to have gotten through. Caine pulled a ghastly expression.

"Children sing about _plague_?"

Jupiter snorted. "Maybe? You think that's bad, you should hear some of our other stuff." She cleared her throat, taking her hands back and crossing one solemnly over her heart. " _Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye_ —"

"Your Majesty!"

"Not literally," Jupiter laughed. "It's just a rhyme. A way of saying you swear to something. All that exaggeration without any real danger." She snuck forward, walking two fingers up Caine's chest. "Sorta like you flying me off a roof."

He grasped her fingers, bringing them briefly to his lips. "You're… something. A phrase…"

"Adrenaline junkie."

" _Yes._ Adrenaline junkie," and Caine took her into his arms, swinging her close and then releasing Jupiter back up into the stars.

* * *

2.

Jupiter paused with the ice cream halfway to her mouth. She shut her eyes.

"Don't ask."

"But—"

"It's stupid." She scoffed at the boys across the street… the ones spitting into their palms and slapping them together, yelling in amused disgust immediately afterwards. Ridiculous oaths sworn, they jumped onto their bikes and went barreling down the neighborhood's largest hill, no doubt out to see who could break their neck first.

" _Boys_ ," Jupiter said by way of explanation and waved the cone in Cane's face. His eyebrows rose high, but he took the sweet bait anyway.

* * *

1.

Weeks later. Sometime during the night. Caine had Jupiter pressed into the mattress, his whole weight on top of her and his wings spread out across the room. One knocked the blinds while the other accidentally cleared her nightstand. Neither of them noticed.

Jupiter breathed heavily into the pillow, finally regaining some sort of clarity of mind. She bit into the sheet and smiled around it, let it go with a wet gasp, peered blearily up at Caine.

"You love me?" she asked, panting it out as she often did afterwards. Reveling in the answer she knew would come.

Caine remained silent though. His hands tightened over the backs of hers and his head bowed to touch the nape of her neck.

"Caine?"

His fingers suddenly loosened, all of them sliding away until only their pinkies were linked.

"Pinkie promise," he whispered, kissing the spread of her hair. "I cross my heart—"—kiss—"—and hope to die—"—kiss—"stick a needle in my eye…" Caine settled the rest of his weight onto Jupiter, sliding his arms out to bring his hands before her. "My fingers aren't crossed, Your Majesty."

" _Oh_ ," Jupiter breathed and rested her face in those hands, smiling all the while.

They settled into silence together, rocking and nuzzling occasionally.

"… Hey, Caine?"

"Yes?"

"I love some of the stuff we do together, really… but _please_ don't spit on me."

It was a rare thing to hear Caine's laugh. Jupiter promised herself that she'd remember it forever.


End file.
